Vapor compression distillation assembly

ABSTRACT

A vapor compression distillation assembly for distilling influent liquid, the vapor compression distillation assembly comprising a housing defining an interior and having an inlet for influent liquid, an evaporator and a condenser provided within the housing interior, an outlet for distillate, and at least one compressor fluidly coupled with the housing interior.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/288,551, filed Feb. 28, 2019, now allowed which claims priority under35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/646,551, filed Mar. 22, 2018, entitled “VAPOR COMPRESSIONDISTILLATION ASSEMBLY,” which is herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

Systems or assemblies for water reclamation or water recycling can beemployed to remove contaminants from a used liquid and reclaim purifiedliquid that can then be stored or re-used as desired. One common methodfor reclaiming or recycling water is through vapor compressiondistillation. In a vapor compression distillation process, influentliquid is heated to the boiling point to effect evaporation. Duringevaporation, the water is converted to water vapor, while contaminantspresent in the influent liquid are left behind and can be collected andremoved from the assembly. The water vapor is compressed, then moves toa condenser, where it condenses at a higher temperature than theevaporation temperature to allow the energy of condensation to be usedfor evaporating more water. The condensed effluent distillate and can beoutput from the water recycling assembly to be stored or re-used.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In one aspect, the disclosure herein relates to an appliance comprisinga vapor compression distillation assembly, the vapor compressiondistillation assembly comprising an evaporator having an interior with alow pressure relative to an ambient pressure for receiving an unheatedfluid at a temperature lower than a boiling point of the fluid; ahousing defining at least a portion of the evaporator and having aninfluent inlet for receiving the unheated fluid and a distillate outlet;a manifold located within the housing, a condensing portion having aninterior fluidly coupled to the manifold, and an exterior defining asurface area of the evaporator; a collecting portion located within thehousing for receiving distillate from the condensing portion and fluidlycoupled to the distillate outlet; and a compressor fluidly coupling theevaporator to the condensing portion; wherein the interior is at apressure low enough to cause spontaneous boiling and flash evaporationof the liquid.

In another aspect, the disclosure herein relates to an appliancecomprising a vapor compression distillation assembly, the vaporcompression distillation assembly comprising a housing defining alow-pressure interior and comprising an influent inlet and a distillateoutlet, a manifold for collecting water vapor, a compressor fluidlycoupled with the low-pressure interior for pumping water vapor from thelow-pressure interior to the manifold; and a condenser comprising aninterior condensing portion for forming distillate and fluidly couple tothe distillate outlet.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure herein relates to a method oftransforming an influent fluid to a distillate within a vaporcompression distillation assembly having a housing defining an interiorand including an evaporator and condenser within the interior, themethod comprising establishing an internal pressure below ambient withinthe interior, receiving through an influent inlet the influent liquid,transforming the influent liquid to a water vapor by flash boiling theinfluent liquid, compressing the water vapor within a manifold,condensing the water vapor into distillate within a condenser, andremoving the distillate via a distillate outlet in the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic representation of traditional vaporcompression distillation processes.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a vapor compressiondistillation process according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary vapor compressiondistillation assembly for use with the process of FIG. 2 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the vaporcompression distillation assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second cross-sectional view of the vaporcompression distillation assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of the vapor compression distillationprocess according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Traditional vapor compression distillation assemblies and processes fordistillation or desalination of water can be highly effective, but canalso be inefficient, employ very high operating temperatures, and useexpensive materials for construction. Heating the influent liquid to theboiling point for evaporation calls for significant energy input and canresult in long start-up times for the system to warm up to appropriateoperating temperatures. As a result, there is either a significant lagtime to allow for pre-heating from a cold start, which can take severalhours, or the assembly must be run as a steady state process, such as astandby mode which continuously maintains preheat temperature so thatstartup can occur quickly, which wastes energy. The high temperaturessustained within the vapor compression distillation assembly create aneed to use expensive materials that can withstand the high temperatureswithout cracking or damage, as well as for insulative materials to beincorporated to reduce the amount of heat energy lost from the vaporcompression distillation assembly. Additionally, after evaporation andcondensation, the distillate liquid can also have a high temperature,which may not be suitable for the desired end use, for example, if thedistillate is intended to be used for immediate drinking water.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic representation of a traditional vaporcompression distillation assembly 8. Influent liquid enters the vaporcompression distillation assembly 8 at an inlet 10. The influent liquidcan be any suitable liquid to be distilled or desalinated, such as usedor dirty water that can contain contaminants. The influent liquid canenter the inlet 10 at a temperature lower than a boiling point, such asat room temperature, and can enter a heat exchanger 12. The heatexchanger 12 heats the influent liquid via the heat of the distillateexiting the vapor compression distillation assembly 8. Because theinfluent liquid must be heated from the current temperature to theboiling point, the heating of the influent liquid by the distillate inthe heat exchanger 12 requires a very high degree or percentage of heatrecapture from the distillate, which can be difficult to achieve. Oneway to achieve such a high percentage of heat recapture is to providethe heat exchanger 12 with large surface areas, resulting in increasedcost of manufacture.

The heated influent liquid then flows from the heat exchanger 12 intothe evaporator 14. In the evaporator 14, the water in the heatedinfluent liquid is evaporated to water vapor. Any contaminants that werepresent in the influent liquid are left behind in the evaporator 14 andcan be collected to exit the vapor compression distillation assembly 8via a concentrate outlet 22. The water vapor then proceeds from theevaporator 14 to a compressor 16 to be compressed. The compressed watervapor enters a condenser 18 and is condensed to produce the distillate,pure water. The distillate exiting the condenser 18 can still be at ornear the boiling temperature as it exits the condenser 18 and flowsthrough the heat exchanger 12 to transfer heat to the influent liquid,then the distillate can exit the vapor compression distillation assembly8 at or near room temperature via an outlet 20. An additional heatexchanger (not shown) can be included to transfer further heat to theinfluent liquid from the concentrate before it exits the vaporcompression distillation assembly 8 via the concentrate outlet 22.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic representation of a vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Influent liquid enters the vapor compression distillationassembly 100 at an influent inlet 106. The influent liquid can enter theinfluent inlet 106 at a temperature lower than the boiling point, suchas at room temperature. There is no need for a heat exchanger as thereis in the traditional vapor compression distillation assembly 8, becausein the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 of the presentdisclosure, the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 ismaintained at a low pressure relative to ambient pressure via anexternal compressor 170 or pump. Specifically, the pressure of the vaporcompression distillation assembly 100 is low enough that the influentliquid will flash boil and evaporate at or near ambient temperature,eliminating the heating step and the need for the heat exchanger.

Rather, the influent liquid flows into the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 via the influent inlet 106, where the water inthe influent liquid is flash boiled and evaporated to water vapor. Anysoil or solid contaminants that were present in the influent liquid areleft behind in the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 and canbe collected to exit the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 viaa concentrate outlet 110. The water vapor then proceeds through acompressor 136 to be compressed, which can raise the temperature of thewater vapor slightly. The compressed water vapor enters a condensingportion 160 via a manifold 122 and is condensed to produce thedistillate, pure water. The distillate exiting the condensing portion160 can still be at or near room temperature, or only slightly aboveroom temperature due to the heat of compression, so there is no need torecapture heat from the distillate. The distillate can then exit thevapor compression distillation assembly 100 at or near room temperaturevia a distillate outlet 112.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. A housing 102 at least partially defines a housing interior104 (FIG. 4) and can comprise an upper housing 102 a and a lower housing102 b. The upper housing 102 a can define the influent inlet 106 and anon-condensable gas outlet 108. The external compressor 170 can becoupled to the non-condensable gas outlet 108. The lower housing 102 bcan define the concentrate outlet 110 for contaminants removed from theinfluent liquid, as well as the distillate outlet 112 for the condensedliquid.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 in which the components within the housinginterior 104 can be seen. The housing interior defines an evaporatorportion 113 fluidly coupled to the influent inlet 106. The lower housing102 b further defines a sump 114 for collecting contaminants andconcentrate left behind after evaporation of the influent liquid. Arotating shaft 116 extends from the lower housing 102 b upwardly througha shaft opening 118 in the upper housing 102 a, where the rotating shaft116 is operably coupled to a motor 120 via pulleys 126, 128 and a drivebelt 130 to effect rotation of the rotating shaft 116. While therotating shaft 116 is illustrated herein as being driven by the motor120 and pulleys 126, 128, it will be understood that the rotating shaft116 can be driven by any suitable method for driving rotation of ashaft. A manifold 122 is provided circumferentially about the rotatingshaft 116 and extends along the vertical height of the rotating shaft116 to provide an open vertical channel for condensed distillate to dripdown to a bottom portion of the manifold 122 to be collected. Themanifold 122 includes an upper cap 140 and a lower cap 142, the lowercap 142 defining a collecting portion 124 where distillate is collectedand directed to the distillate outlet 112 to exit the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100.

A rotatable disc assembly 132 comprising a plurality of stacked hollowdiscs 134 is provided circumferentially about and coupled to themanifold 122 and the rotating shaft 116 such that the interiors of thehollow discs 134 define the condensing portion 160, which is in fluidcommunication with the manifold 122 and the collecting portion 124. Thehollow discs 134 can be fluidly sealed at their outer edges to definethe interior of the hollow disc 134, or the condensing portion 160, andan exterior of the hollow disc 134. This creates a large amount ofsurface area of the hollow discs 134 within the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100, which can be used to encourage and tomaximize condensation and evaporation within the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100. Specifically, the exterior surface area ofthe hollow discs 134 can be used for evaporation of the influent liquid,while the interior surface area of the hollow discs 134 can be used forcondensation of the compressed water vapor. In an exemplary embodiment,the hollow discs 134 can be formed of steel, which can be stainlesssteel. The hollow discs 134 can be fixedly coupled to the manifold 122,as well as optionally to one another such that the hollow discs 134 areheld in a fixed, spaced relationship to one another.

The compressor 136 is coupled to the housing 102 and in fluidcommunication with the housing interior 104. The compressor 136comprises a motor housing 144 within which a compressor motor 148 isprovided. The compressor motor 148 is coupled to a compressor shaft 146,which is in turn coupled with an impeller 138 that is in fluidcommunication with the housing interior 104, the manifold 122, and thecondensing portion 160. The housing 102 defines an integrally moldedcasing for the impeller 138. The compressor motor 148 can comprise thecompressor shaft 146, as well as bearings, rotors, and a capacitor, allof which can be provided within the motor housing 144. The compressor136 can be any type of compressor suitable for compressing theevaporated water vapor and raising the pressure of the water vapor inpreparation for condensation, non-limiting examples of which include acentrifugal compressor, an impeller driven compressor, a piston pumpcompressor, or a positive displacement pump.

The external compressor 170 couples with the non-condensable gas outlet108 in order to lower the pressure of the vapor compression distillationassembly 100 to a pressure below ambient. The external compressor 170can be any type of compressor suitable for creating a negative pressureenvironment within the housing interior 104 relative to atmosphericpressure, non-limiting examples of which include a positive displacementpump, an impeller driven compressor, or a piston pump compressor. Theexternal compressor 170 should have sufficient size and/or capacity suchthat it is capable of producing enough negative pressure to bring thepressure in the housing interior 104 down to a pressure low enough tocause spontaneous boiling and flash evaporation of the influent liquid.In an exemplary embodiment, the external compressor 170 can be smallerin size or capacity than the compressor 136, though it will beunderstood that the external compressor 170 can also be equivalent insize or capacity to the compressor 136, or even larger in size orcapacity than the compressor 136.

FIG. 5 illustrates a second cross-sectional view of the vaporcompression distillation assembly 100 in which the flow paths of theinlets and outlets can be better seen. For example, the influent inlet106 can include a delivery conduit 154 that can spray the influentliquid onto the rotatable disc assembly 132, specifically onto the outersurfaces of the hollow discs 134. The sump 114 is fluidly coupled withthe concentrate outlet 110 for removal of soil and other solidcontaminants present in the influent liquid. The housing interior 104 isfluidly coupled with the manifold 122 via upper cap openings 152 on theupper cap 140 that allow the passage of water vapor, after compressing,from the housing interior 104 into the manifold 122 and the condensingportion 160. The collecting portion 124 located at a lower end of themanifold 122 and within the lower cap 142 is in fluid communication withthe distillate outlet 112 via the lower cap openings 150 present withinthe lower cap 142.

Turning now to the operation of the vapor compression distillationassembly 100, FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a vapor compressiondistillation method 50 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The vapor compression distillation method 50 improves overtraditional vapor compression distillation methods by eliminating theneed for heat exchangers to heat the influent liquid by instead usingreduced pressure to cause boiling and evaporation without the need forheating. By reducing the operating pressure within the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 sufficiently, distillation can occur at ornear room or ambient temperature. This reduces start up timerequirements, and removes the high temperature-related needs for costlymaterials and insulation. Efficiency of the vapor compressiondistillation process is also improved by allowing for the heat ofcondensation after the initial flash evaporation occurs to betransferred back through the hollow discs 134 to sustain furtherevaporation and keep the distillation process going without requiringadditional input of heat to the system. Additionally, the resultingdistillate will be at or near room temperature, so it can be used formany end purposes, including as immediately drinkable water without theneed for a heat exchanger or other heat removal method for cooling thedistillate.

At step 52, the external compressor 170 operates in an initial draw downphase to reduce the pressure within the vapor compression distillationassembly 100 such that the evaporation and condensation occur at apressure below atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the externalcompressor 170 can reduce the pressure within the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 by operating to draw air out of the vaporcompression distillation assembly 100, specifically the housing interior104, via the non-condensable gas outlet 108 and create a low pressureenvironment. It will also be understood that the external compressor 170could alternately or additionally be coupled to the distillate outlet112 in order to reduce the pressure within the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100. The pressure within the housing interior 104can be reduced to the point at which the influent liquid spontaneouslyboils and flash evaporates when it enters the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 via the inlet 106. Rather than several hoursof pre-heating as with traditional vapor compression distillationmethods, the initial draw down phase can be as short as minutes orseconds for the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 to be readyto operate.

Once the initial draw down phase is completed by the external compressor170 and the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 is held at thedesired pressure, influent liquid can enter the housing 102 via theinlet 106 at step 54. The inlet 106 can be positioned such that influentliquid through the inlet 106 is provided via the delivery conduit 154 tothe outer surfaces of the hollow discs 134. In an exemplary embodiment,the inlet 106 can result in the influent liquid being sprayed onto theouter surfaces of the hollow discs 134. Further, the hollow discs 134can be rotated as the influent liquid is sprayed through the deliveryconduit 154 to ensure even distribution of the influent liquid on thehollow discs 134. The exterior surface area of the hollow discs 134 canserve to encourage and maximize evaporation performance, in addition tothe use of low pressure to cause spontaneous boiling and flashevaporation. The flash evaporation can be thought of as a method forrapidly initiating the vapor compression distillation process. The flashevaporation can result in a slight reduction in the temperature of thehousing interior 104 and the hollow discs 134. Thus, in order forsubsequent evaporation to continue, the heat lost during flashevaporation can be replaced by the heat of condensation that transfersthrough the hollow discs 134 to sustain evaporation once the flashevaporation has initiated the process. It will be understood that theflash evaporation can provide a high rate of evaporation for a shortperiod of time until the condensation portion of the process begins andserves to sustain the evaporation.

At step 56, spontaneous boiling and/or flash evaporation of the influentliquid occur due to the reduced pressure environment within the housing102. Water contained within the influent liquid is evaporated to watervapor. As the water is evaporated to water vapor, any soil or othersolid contaminants that were present in the influent liquid are leftbehind on the outer surfaces of the hollow discs 134. Concurrently, atstep 58, the rotatable disc assembly 132 is rotated by the rotatingshaft 116, allowing soil and other solid contaminants that were presentin the influent liquid to fall from the hollow discs 134 to the sump114. A wiper 162 can be provided to contact at least a portion of theexterior surface of the hollow discs 134 to wipe or scrape soil andresidue off of the hollow discs 134 and allow the soil and residue tofall to the sump 114 as concentrate. In an exemplary embodiment, thewiper 162 can be configured to fit between the hollow discs 134. Theconcentrate collected in the sump 114 can exit the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 via the concentrate outlet 110. Theconcentrate can then be provided to a waste tank (not shown) or a wastedrain or other suitable collection apparatus for disposal of theconcentrate.

The water vapor that is evaporated from the outer surfaces of the hollowdiscs 134 in step 56 and is then drawn into the impeller 138 by thesuction created by the motion of the impeller 138 as indicated by thearrow 156 by operating the compressor motor 148 to rotate the compressorshaft 146 and, in turn, the impeller 138. The water vapor is compressedwithin the impeller 138 at step 60 by raising the water vapor pressure,then, at step 62, follows the flow path as indicated by the arrow 158toward the upper cap 140 of the manifold 122. The compression processresults in a slight increase in the temperature of the water vapor. Thewater vapor enters the manifold 122 via the upper cap openings 152 inthe upper cap 150. The water vapor can then move into the condensingportion 160 in the interior of the hollow discs 134 acting as acondenser. Because the water vapor has a slightly elevated temperaturedue to the compression process, then comes into contact with the hollowdiscs 134, that have a lower temperature than the water vapor due to theinfluent liquid being sprayed on and evaporated from the outer surfacesof the hollow discs 134, the water vapor is condensed within the hollowdiscs 134 into distillate at step 64 and collects in the collectingportion 124. In addition, as the water vapor condenses within the hollowdiscs 134, the energy of condensation is transferred through the hollowdiscs 134 to further encourage evaporation on the outer surfaces of thehollow discs 134. At step 66, the distillate exits the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 by flowing from the collecting portion 124into the distillate outlet 112 via the lower cap openings 150, where itcan then be re-used or stored for future use as desired. The distillatecan flow from the distillate outlet 112 into a storage tank (not shown),or it can be pumped to a re-use location. The resulting distillate exitsthe vapor compression distillation assembly 100 at a temperature thatcan be only a few degrees above the temperature of the influent liquid,resulting in only a small amount of energy loss due to the vaporcompression distillation method 50.

In addition, throughout the operation of the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100, the external compressor 170 can continue tooperate beyond the initial draw down to allow for the venting ofnon-condensable gases through the non-condensable gas outlet 108 thatcould otherwise be trapped within the condenser. When the water vaporcondenses within the condensing portion 160, the non-condensable gasesare unable to do so and remain in a gas or vapor form within the vaporcompression distillation assembly 100. While the water vapor enters themanifold 122 via the upper cap openings 152 and the condensing portion160 to be condensed, the non-condensable gases can exit the vaporcompression distillation assembly 100 via the non-condensable gas outlet108, rather than entering the manifold 122 via the upper cap openings152. The external compressor 170 coupled to the non-condensable gasoutlet 108 can encourage the exiting of the non-condensable gases andprevent them from being needlessly trapped within the condensing portion160. Non-condensable gases can include, by way of non-limiting example,gases dissolved in the influent liquid, other volatiles that may bepresent in the influent liquid, air that may be left within the housinginterior 104 after the initial draw down due to an imperfect vacuum, orair that may leak into the housing interior 104 due to imperfect seals.The external compressor 170 does not have to be operated at the samespeed as that required for the initial draw down, but could be operatedat a slower speed to provide the continuous venting function.

The vapor compression distillation assembly 100 can be used in a widevariety of contexts, environments, and implementations. Non-limitingexamples of such uses include in any water recycling appliance, inhousehold appliances that use water, in whole-home water recyclingsystems, in larger water recycling systems such as neighborhood waterrecycling systems, or under-the-sink drinking water recycling systems.By treating water to reclaim and recycle it, both water and energy aresaved. Household appliances with which the vapor compressiondistillation assembly 100 can be employed include, by way ofnon-limiting example, dishwashers laundry treating appliances, includingboth laundry washing machines and laundry drying machines. Distillateexiting the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 can be cycledback into a household appliance for further use, or can be provided to acollecting or storage assembly for future use.

The vapor compression distillation assembly disclosed herein can beprovided within a dryer or combination washer/dryer similar to or thesame as the dryer and combination washer/dryer in U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/724,917, filed Aug. 30, 2018, entitled “LOWPRESSURE LAUNDRY TREATING APPLIANCE,” which is herein incorporated byreference in full.

By way of example, the vapor compression distillation assembly 100 canbe used for distilling used wash water within a dishwasher. The waterexiting from the wash cycle in a dishwasher can be about 40° C. In orderto cause flash boiling and evaporation for the influent liquid at 40°C., the housing interior 104 would be reduced to a pressure of, forexample, 42-74 mBar to ensure initial flash evaporation. In thisexample, the external compressor 170 can be a positive displacement pumprunning at 0.5 liters per minute with an initial draw down time ofapproximately 7 minutes. If the dishwasher had a 3.2 L fill volume, theentirety of the wash liquid could be distilled within about 13 minutes,then provided back to the dishwasher for use in the rinse cycle.

The embodiments of the vapor compression distillation assembly andmethods of the present disclosure allow for the elimination of theconsiderations associated with the high temperatures used in traditionalvapor compression distillation assemblies, such as allowing for the useof less expensive materials that do not need to be able to withstandhigher temperatures and eliminating the need for insulative materials tobe included to prevent heat loss from the vapor compression distillationassembly. In addition, the expense of the heat exchanger is eliminatedby operating the vapor compression distillation process belowatmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The positive displacementcompressor can be small and low cost and can reduce pressuresufficiently in a short period of time to reduce pre-heating and startup time.

To the extent not already described, the different features andstructures of the various embodiments can be used in combination witheach other as desired. That one feature may not be illustrated in all ofthe embodiments is not meant to be construed that it cannot be, but isdone for brevity of description. Thus, the various features of thedifferent embodiments can be mixed and matched as desired to form newembodiments, whether or not the new embodiments are expressly described.

While the present disclosure has been specifically described inconnection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to beunderstood that this is by way of illustration and not of limitation.Reasonable variation and modification are possible within the scope ofthe forgoing disclosure and drawings without departing from the spiritof the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An appliance comprising a vapor compressiondistillation assembly, the vapor compression distillation assemblycomprising: an evaporator having an interior with a low pressurerelative to an ambient pressure for receiving an unheated fluid at atemperature lower than a boiling point of the fluid; a housing definingat least a portion of the evaporator and having an influent inlet forreceiving the unheated fluid and a distillate outlet; a manifold locatedwithin the housing; a condensing portion having an interior fluidlycoupled to the manifold, and an exterior defining a surface area of theevaporator; a collecting portion located within the housing forreceiving distillate from the condensing portion and fluidly coupled tothe distillate outlet; and a compressor fluidly coupling the evaporatorto the condensing portion; wherein the interior is at a pressure lowenough to cause spontaneous boiling and flash evaporation of the liquid.2. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of stackeddiscs wherein at least one of the plurality of stacked discs is a hollowdisc defining the condensing portion and the surface area of theevaporator.
 3. The appliance of claim 1, further comprising an impellercoupled to the compressor and in fluid communication with the interior.4. The appliance of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises anupper housing defining the influent inlet and a lower housing definingthe distillate outlet.
 5. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the lowerhousing at least partially defines a sump for collecting concentrate. 6.The appliance of claim 5 wherein the lower housing further comprises aconcentrate outlet.
 7. The appliance of claim 4 wherein the upperhousing further comprises a non-condensable gas outlet.
 8. The applianceof claim 7, further comprising an external compressor fluidly coupled tothe non-condensable gas outlet to lower the pressure in the interior tothe low pressure below the ambient pressure.
 9. The appliance of claim1, further comprising a rotating shaft extending upwardly within theinterior and through a shaft opening in the housing.
 10. The applianceof claim 9 wherein a manifold is circumferentially disposed about therotating shaft.
 11. An appliance comprising a vapor compressiondistillation assembly, the vapor compression distillation assemblycomprising: a housing defining a low-pressure interior and comprising aninfluent inlet and a distillate outlet, a manifold for collecting watervapor, a compressor fluidly coupled with the low-pressure interior forpumping water vapor from the low-pressure interior to the manifold; anda condenser comprising an interior condensing portion for formingdistillate and fluidly couple to the distillate outlet.
 12. Theappliance of claim 11 wherein the housing further comprises an upperhousing defining the influent inlet and a non-condensable gas outlet anda lower housing defining the distillate outlet, a sump for collectingconcentrate, and a concentrate outlet.
 13. The appliance of claim 12,further comprising an external compressor fluidly coupled to thenon-condensable gas outlet to lower the interior pressure to a pressurebelow ambient pressure.
 14. The appliance of claim 13, furthercomprising a rotating shaft extending upwardly within the interior ofthe housing wherein the manifold is located circumferentially about therotating shaft and a rotatable disc assembly is couple to the rotatingshaft and manifold and defines the interior condensing portion.
 15. Theappliance of claim 14 wherein the rotatable disc assembly is a pluralityof stacked discs wherein at least one of the plurality of stacked discsis a hollow disc having an exterior surface defining an evaporator andan interior defining the interior condensing portion.
 16. The applianceof claim 15 wherein the plurality of stacked discs are fixedly coupledto each other in a fixed, spaced relationship.
 17. A method oftransforming an influent fluid to a distillate within a vaporcompression distillation assembly having a housing defining an interiorand including an evaporator and condenser within the interior, themethod comprising: establishing an internal pressure below ambientwithin the interior; receiving through an influent inlet the influentfluid; transforming the influent liquid to a water vapor by flashboiling the influent liquid; compressing the water vapor within amanifold; condensing the water vapor into distillate within thecondenser; and removing the distillate via a distillate outlet in thehousing.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising rotating thecondenser to remove concentrate collected on an exterior of thecondenser.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising collectingconcentrate in a sump of the housing.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising removing the concentrate via a concentrate outlet inthe housing.